


Player Two

by starryeyedchar



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Insecurity, M/M, Mutual Pining, One Shot, Pining, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-14
Updated: 2017-12-14
Packaged: 2019-02-14 14:43:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13010001
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starryeyedchar/pseuds/starryeyedchar
Summary: Keith froze, his mind momentarily going blank. “What.”“The video game, Keith! Pidge finished the whole thing, and now Matt's on the final levels, and I just... I just can't beat it!”“You... you came into my room crying,” Keith said slowly. “Because you can't finish a video game.”Or when Lance is crying, and Keith is annoyed until he realizes it's about much more than the video game.





	Player Two

**Author's Note:**

> Based on an ask that I originally intended to answer with just a short drabble but it turned into... this. I hope you enjoy it, and I apologize for not posting any one-shots in a while.

A knock sounded at Keith's door, and he didn't even turn to look as he said an absentminded, “Yeah?”

But the sound of crying as the door swished open made him immediately stop what he was doing, head snapping up to see Lance standing in the doorway, tears running down his face.

Keith was on his feet in seconds, walking hurriedly to other's side. “Lance? What happened? Are you hurt?!”

Lance shook his head, burying his face in his hands. Keith just grew more wary. If whatever was going on had rendered even _Lance_ speechless...

He let out another half-smothered sob, and Keith couldn't help but feel a rush of anger at whoever had caused this. He _hated_ seeing Lance cry.

“Hey,” Keith said softly, trying to remain calm. For all he knew, it was nothing. “Hey, it's... it's okay, just tell me what happened, alright? Why are you crying?”

Lance, without warning, rushed forward and buried his head in Keith's shoulder. He started, but brought his arms up and wrapped them around Lance, feeling the start of a blush spreading across his face.

“It's Pidge,” Lance said, and his voice sounded _broken_.

Keith's blood ran cold.

His mind ran through all the possibilities of what that could mean. He had been seeing the green paladin less and less lately... was she...?

“She's... she's beaten Killbot Phantasm One.”

Keith froze, his mind momentarily going blank. “What.”

“The video game, Keith! She finished the whole thing, and now Matt's on the final levels, and I just... I just can't beat it!”

“You... you came into my room crying,” Keith said slowly. “Because you can't finish a _video game_.”

Lance nodded, obviously not noticing Keith's irritation.

And he stepped back from the hug, pushing Lance off of him, who actually had the audacity to look hurt because of this.

“Keith...?”

“Are you quiznaking _kidding_ me?!" Keith demanded. “I thought something was the matter! I thought... fuck, I thought something terrible had happened!”

“Something terrible _has_ happened!” Lance insisted. “My reputation is ruined! I can't even beat _Matt_ at a video game, and he spent the last year in space! Space, Keith!”

“ _We're_ in space!”

“That's not the point!” Lance's voice had risen almost to a shout. “The point is, I'm useless at _everything_! If I can't even beat a stupid game, then how the hell am I supposed to be able to win this war for us? How am I supposed to be a paladin of Voltron?”

And just like that, Keith's annoyance was gone as fast as it had come.

He couldn't believe his ears. Where... where was this coming from?

Did Lance really think so low of himself that something this small could bring him to tears?

And then... then a small burst of anger was back, that Lance could even possibly _think_ that he was useless.

“Lance,” he said, trying to choose his words carefully. He didn't want to mess this up. “Just because you can't finish some dumb game doesn't mean you're a bad paladin. That's stupid.”

“I _know_ it's stupid!” Lance admitted, throwing his hands in the air. Then, he slowly brought them down, hugging himself. “But... I guess I just wanted a win, for once. I wanted to be the best at something. It's selfish of me.”

“You're anything but selfish,” Keith said firmly. “You're so _important_ to m—”

He stopped short, and Lance's wide blue eyes were staring at him. So honest, and open.

Even if Lance was ready to be vulnerable, Keith couldn't manage to force himself to do the same.

Not yet.

“To... to this team, and we couldn't get by without you. You're one of the best pilots we have, definitely the closest with your lion. I mean, Red's _crazy_ about you. She's told me so, and Blue still cares about you a lot, too. You're the only one we can count on for precision when it comes to long distance combat, and that's really, really valuable in a war like this. Not to mention that you're getting better at close combat, too.”

“Keith, I—”

“And that's just in battle! But you can always keep spirits up, almost single-handedly. It's like... whenever any of us needs support, you're just _there_ , with whatever it is we need. Jokes to make us laugh, serious comforting words, or even just a shoulder to cry on, and I don't understand it,” Keith let out a slow breath, and met Lance's eyes again. “I don't understand how someone who uses all his energy to lift everyone around him up can constantly put himself down like you do.”

Lance stared at him for a moment, features completely blank. Then he blinked, and tears were running down his face again.

“Oh, shit,” Keith cursed, hands hovering over Lance's shoulders but not making contact. “I'm sorry, did I... did I say something wrong?”

Lance shook his head, a smile making it's way onto his face. “No. You said everything just right.”

Then he was hugging him again, and this time he didn't let go.

“I still want to beat that game, though,” Lance muttered into his shoulder.

And Keith couldn't have stopped the fond sigh and smile that accompanied it even if he wanted to, because Lance wouldn't be Lance if he didn't. “Of course you do.”

Lance laughed softly, and then a thought popped into Keith's head.

“Hey... the game has two controllers, right?”

Lance pulled back to look at him, brows furrowed in confusion. “Yeah?”

“Well... I'm not very good at video games. Never really played them much. You'd probably have to show me how to do it, but... we'd have a better chance at it together, right?” Keith asked, looking at the ground.

Months ago, Lance would've scoffed with contempt, pushing Keith away and claiming that he didn't need _anyone's_ help, much less his.

But Lance smirked at him and said, with mischievous glee, “Keith Kogane, do you mean to say you want to be my player two?”

Keith smiled back as he nodded. They really had come a long way.

 

* * *

 

Keith was lying in the dirt, a sword pointed directly at his throat, the point so close he felt that if he so much as breathed it would pierce his skin.

The Galra sentry had snuck up on him, because Keith was distracted listening to the coms, and now he was going to pay the price. Now he was going to die like this, and his friends would find him having bled to death without a sound.

Keith shut his eyes tight, preparing for the end.

But the sword never came down. Instead, Keith heard the blast of a gunshot, startling him into opening his eyes.

Just in time to see the robot topple backwards onto the ground.

He looked up and whirled around to see who could possibly have saved him, and the first thing his eyes caught on was an impossibly brilliant smile. Wavering slightly, but still there. Because it always was, wasn't it?

“Lance,” he breathed, and then he was standing beside Keith, reaching down a hand to help him.

A warm feeling fanned out inside Keith's chest, one he'd been having a lot lately when it came to Lance, but he couldn't quite explain.

“Player two, right?” Lance asked him as he pulled his teammate up. “I'll always have your back, man.”

_Oh_.

“Right. Uh, you too,” Keith said quickly, offering Lance a soft smile in return.

He was pretty sure he'd just given that feeling a name.

 


End file.
